The theater was first built in the
time of Lysimachus, taking advantage
of the natural slope of Mt. Panayir.

As
with other ancient theaters, there
are three main sections, which are
the scene, the orchestra, and the
seating area.

The most beautiful part was the
18-meter building that made up the
scene area. It was a three-story,
multi-column structure facing the
spectators. There were statues in
the niches in between columns. The
ground floor is still standing. It
runs north and south and has eight
rooms opening onto the western side.

There is a narrow door leading
into the orchestra and a small
terrace on each end.

During
the Classic Period there was
another scene section where
performers would be on the same
level as the choir section in
the orchestra. This area was
sometimes slightly raised. In
the Hellenistic Period the
orchestra was reduced in size
and a narrow stage area was used
by the actors. This
configuration allowed those
seated at the back to hear
better and those at the front to
see better.

The
second floor of the scene
structure has been preserved,
revealing a different plan than
that of the first floor. There
was a long corridor in the
center with five doors opening
onto the proscene and two rows
of rooms on the western side.
The semicircular orchestra was
34 m in width.

During the plays the choir would
come in on either side of the
orchestra and speak their lines
in unison. There was a ceremony
in front of the altar at the
front of the orchestra before
each performance in honor of the
god Dionysius. In the beginning
there were ceremonies at these
plays to the god of wine,
Dionysius, hence the tradition
of offering a sacrifice to him
in the beginning.

In
the Hellenistic Period the
orchestra was smaller and
expanded by 5 meters in Roman
times. Part of the orchestra was
floored with green marble. The
seating area was a semicircle
with a radius of 154 m and 38 m
high. It could hold as many as
24,000 spectators. The area was
divided into three sections and
had two rows of steps through
the middle.

All
the performers were male. As can
be seen in the frescoes in the
hillside houses, the actors used
masks while performing. There
were also meetings held here for
the citizens of Ephesus.